Baylee Adkins saw hope and support as hundreds of people including cancer survivors, caregivers, treatment supporters and volunteers walked the track at Northside High School in order to participate in this years Relay For Life event.

“Going through chemo is hard,” said Adkins, 7, of Richlands, who suffers from a cancerous brain tumor called Pilomyxoid Astrocytoma. “It’s hard because I have to get poked every week with needles.”

This year 174 teams have registered and there will be more than 2,950 participants for the walk which is sponsored by The American Cancer Society. The event began Friday at 4 p.m. and continues Saturday. Closing ceremonies are at noon and the final lap will be at 2 p.m. So far the teams have raised more than $206,000. Tents were set up across the football field for many of the teams. Adkins and her mother, Tracie Thocher, 32, of Richlands were among the many with their own tents.

“The only good part about the chemo is that I have fun playing with the toys,” said Adkins, whose mother said she has a very cheery outlook.

Support has poured out of the community, said Thocher.

“The University of North Carolina Wilmington girls’ soccer team adopted her,” said Thocher. “They’re her favorite team. They’re like her sisters and it makes her feel special that they support her.”

The first lap of the Relay for Life was cancer survivors and the second lap was survivors and their caretakers. The survivors presented all of the caretakers with an angel pin as thanks for their support. Relay for Life expects approximately 700 cancer survivors to attend between both days.

Danielle Woods, a 36-year-old breast cancer survivor from Poseyville, Ind. Raised $5,000 during last year’s Relay for Life and this year before selling anything at her booth has already raised more than $4,000.

“If this money can help people get mammograms who can’t afford them, that would be great,” said Woods, who leads the team Danielle’s Divas. “I hope we find a cure with the money but at the very least I hope it goes to do better research.”

Diagnosed in 2003 with breast cancer, Cookie Cavanagh of Hubert said treatments have drastically improved because of efforts like Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society.

“These events show the support that cancer survivors and caregivers need from the community,” Cavanagh said. “Thanks to these organizations you can catch cancer much later now and still live 30, 40 or 50 more years. Without the American Cancer Society we wouldn’t be at that point today.”

A Hardin, Mont., native, Corri Cunningham said she participates in Relay for Life so she doesn’t feel so alone in her battle with cancer.

“I do it for those who have gone before, those who are struggling now and so that in the future no one else will need to hear the word cancer,” said Cunningham, who had gallbladder and colon cancer.

For more information, visit relayforlife.org/OnslowNC.

Contact Daily News Military Reporter Thomas Brennan at 910-219-8453 or thomas.brennan@jdnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @thomasjbrennan.